Introduction

This blog came about as a result of a drunken conversation in the early hours of the morning in Benalmadena, Spain in September 2006. The basic premise was a challenge to complete a 'virtual road trip' across the USA, starting from San Francisco and finishing in New York.

The route choice will be illogical and idiosyncratic: as long as it heads vaguely West to East, it will meander around to take in places that I've always wanted to see (or that have interesting, or rude-sounding, names).

The only methods permitted methods of travel are cycling, running, walking, rowing or swimming; only 'verifiable' miles will count (either measured using my Garmin GPS system, recorded on the treadmill, cycle ergometer or rowing ergometer in the gym, or calculated from number of lengths swum in the pool).

Although this is not a race, I hope this blog will serve to motivate (or at least prick the conscience) of the other half of the inital alcohol-fuelled challenge to shift his ever-increasing girth in a virtual easterly direction...